CO₂ Coalition – Bias and Credibility

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QUESTIONABLE SOURCE

A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, a complete lack of transparency, and/or is fake news. Fake News is the deliberate attempt to publish hoaxes and/or disinformation for profit or influence (Learn More). Sources listed in the Questionable Category may be untrustworthy and should be fact-checked on a per-article basis. Please note sources on this list are not considered fake news unless specifically written in the reasoning section for that source. See all Questionable sources.

• Overall, we rate the CO₂ Coalition as right-biased and questionable due to its consistent promotion of climate change skepticism, lack of transparency around funding, selective presentation of data, rejection of the scientific consensus on anthropogenic global warming, and several certified failed fact checks.

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History

The CO₂ Coalition is a U.S.-based nonprofit founded in 2015 with the stated mission of educating the public and policymakers about the “beneficial” role of carbon dioxide in the environment and economy. The website presents itself as an environmental science resource. However, its core messaging disputes the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change.

The Coalition emphasizes that CO₂ is essential for life and economic development and promotes content that challenges efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Though framed as educational, its materials often align with climate change skepticism and downplay the environmental and societal risks associated with fossil fuel-driven global warming. ​The CO₂ Coalition is headquartered in Virginia, United States.

Read our profile on the United States government and media.

Funded by / Ownership

The CO₂ Coalition is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and does not publicly disclose its major donors on its website. However, investigative reporting from DeSmog and SourceWatch has documented substantial funding from politically conservative foundations with ties to fossil fuel interests, including the Mercer Family Foundation, Sarah Scaife Foundation, Searle Freedom Trust, and the Charles Koch Foundation. These funders are known for backing organizations that oppose environmental regulations and reject the consensus on climate science. While the Coalition promotes transparency in its messaging, its financial disclosures are limited and suggest a pattern of support from donors who benefit from delaying climate action.

Analysis / Bias

The CO₂ Coalition publishes a large volume of articles, “fact sheets,” and educational content that disputes or reframes widely accepted climate science. Its CO₂ vs Temperature section argues that human emissions do not primarily drive global temperature changes and promotes the idea that modern warming began centuries before industrialization. The site also states that the warming effect of carbon dioxide declines with higher concentrations and implies that climate change mitigation policies are unnecessary. The organization frequently claims that increased atmospheric CO₂ brings more benefits to agriculture without addressing the adverse effects of climate change, such as droughts, extreme weather, or sea level rise.

Much of the content lacks references to peer-reviewed science and instead relies on internal publications or selectively cited data. For example, its white paper “Challenging Net Zero with Science” argues against net-zero policies, framing them as economically and scientifically harmful. These arguments contradict assessments from established climate research institutions like NASA, the IPCC, and NOAA, identifying anthropogenic CO₂ as the primary driver of recent global warming.

The leadership includes individuals with backgrounds in the energy sector and affiliations with other organizations that promote climate skepticism, such as the Heartland Institute. The CO₂ Coalition also operates a CO₂ Learning Center, which targets children with storybooks and lesson plans that present carbon dioxide as entirely beneficial. The materials omit the environmental risks of rising CO₂ and frame mainstream climate science as misleading, reflecting the group’s broader goal of reshaping public understanding through early education.

Failed Fact Checks

• “Co2 is lowest it’s been in 600,000,000 years. Fact.” – Misleading
• “Polar bears have increased 400% in 45 yrs. Whales are nearly fully recovered. Extinctions are down 90% past century (IUCN). Koalas doing fine.” – Misleading
• “There is no evidence, other than models, that human CO2 emissions drive climate change and abundant evidence that the Sun, coupled with natural climate cycles, drives most, if not all, of recent climate changes” – Incorrect
• “There is no climate emergency” – Very Low Scientific Credibility

Overall, we rate the CO₂ Coalition as right-biased and questionable due to its consistent promotion of climate change skepticism, lack of transparency around funding, selective presentation of data, rejection of the scientific consensus on anthropogenic global warming, and several certified failed fact checks. (M. Huitsing 03/31/2025)

Source: https://co2coalition.org/

Last Updated on March 31, 2025 by Media Bias Fact Check

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Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources